READING CLOUD

Our school is strongly committed to improving literacy and knows the importance of reading for pleasure. There is good evidence to suggest that young people who read for pleasure daily perform better in reading tests. We want to encourage children to enjoy reading and to read a wide range of good quality literature.

I am delighted to inform you that the school has recently made a significant investment in our library with the introduction of a new online Reading Cloud. The new system allows pupils, staff and parents to view our school library catalogue online and pupils are encouraged to use this to help with research, to write reviews about books they have read, blog about what they are reading and their favourite authors and search for new books and other library resources.

Children will also have the ability to chat about books etc. with their friends in this safe environment. Staff will be using this too to ensure it is moderated and used sensibly. The chat facility will allow us to introduce the idea of social networking for children in a safe environment which is focussed around reading. We would also encourage children to use the ‘Home Library’ function to catalogue books they have at home which can then be shared with friends.

The system includes a fantastic new feature called ‘Who Next’ which recommends new books and authors based on the books that your child has already read. You will be able to use this feature at home to help your child select their next book.